Qantas and Jetstar have become the first airlines to sign up to Western Sydney Airport (WSI), with both carriers agreeing to operate domestic flights out of the hub when it opens in late 2026.
Flying routes like Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Qantas Group will commit 15 narrow-body aircraft to the Western Sydney airport in the first year, including 10 Jetstar and five Qantas planes.
The flying kangaroo expects the aircraft to carry some 4 million passengers out of Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport each year on more than 25,000 flights.
As excitement builds for Sydney’s new airport, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King joined WSI and Qantas executives on a tour of the airport site, which is more than 50 per cent built.
“In just over three years Qantas and Jetstar will take off from Western Sydney connecting one of Australia’s fastest growing areas through direct flights across the country,” Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said.
“As we take delivery of more aircraft and expand our fleet, we see Western Sydney Airport as a significant growth opportunity for the Group, which will complement our existing operations in the Sydney basin and nationally.
“Western Sydney International Airport has some big strategic advantages with no curfew, technology that allows aircraft to be turned around quickly and a next-generation baggage system.”
Qantas Group says WSI will be its sixth biggest hub in its first year of operations, with international and freight operations also under discussion.
“Our data shows that more than two million trips per year are taken by people who live in the Western Sydney catchment so we know there will be demand for these flights from day one,” Joyce said.
“Jetstar has a long history of stimulating demand when it starts flying to new destinations through low fares, so expect to see some great value travel options.”
Sydney’s ‘biggest airport’
Western Sydney Airport CEO Simon Hickey said, “this is a substantial Qantas and Jetstar presence at Sydney’s new major airport”.
“We’re enabling WSI with the latest technology, which will deliver an easier and more seamless travel experience,” he remarked.
“Qantas and Jetstar passengers are going to love flying from WSI and we can’t wait to welcome them.
“WSI is being designed for growth and will eventually become Sydney’s biggest airport.
“We have a roadmap to grow to 82 million annual passengers, around the size of the world’s major airports, such as Dubai and London Heathrow.”
With some 700 operational jobs forecast for the hub, local recruitment will take place in the run-up to the first flights. The airport has already spent more than $400 million with local businesses.
Meanwhile, WSI and Qantas Group have agreed to collaborate on projects in Western Sydney that could help with the supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for flights.
In March, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) issued Western Sydney International Airport its three-letter code in record time.
It has also revealed its plans for a business precinct at the hub, with a ten-storey, 154-room hotel on the cards for the 20-hectare site.
WSI also recently selected Amadeus as its strategic airport systems tech partner.
For more on WSI, click here.
